In France, Civil Unions are Replacing Marriage

Some are divorced and disenchanted with marriage; others are young couples ideologically opposed to marriage, but eager to lighten their tax burdens. Many are lovers not quite ready for old-fashioned matrimony.

Whatever their reasons, and they vary widely, French couples are increasingly shunning traditional marriages and opting instead for civil unions, to the point that there are now two civil unions for every three marriages.

When France created its system of civil unions in 1999, it was heralded as a revolution in gay rights, a relationship almost like marriage, but not quite. No one, though, anticipated how many couples would make use of the new law. Nor was it predicted that by 2009, the overwhelming majority of civil unions would be between straight couples.

One of the primary reasons the French are avoiding marriage is because the institution is linked, in their minds, to Christianity:

In addition to their practical advantages, she said, civil unions are ideologically suited to her generation, which came of age after the social rebellions of the 1960s. We were very free, she said. AIDS didnt exist, we had the pill, we didnt have to fight. We were the first generation to enjoy all of this. She added, Marriage has a side thats very institutional and very square and religious, which didnt fit for us.

Though French marriages are officially concluded in civil ceremonies held in town halls, not in churches, marriage is still viewed here as a heavy and invasive institution with deep ties to Christianity, said Wilfried Rault, a sociologist at the National Institute for Demographic Studies.